Okay, now it is go time. You have a child in your congregation with a disability and you are fully invested - you've read the articles, watched the videos, met with parents, gotten to know the child with a disability and begun your research. Now, it is time to make a plan, but it all seems so daunting. There are so many accommodations to choose from. What to do?
Well, over the next three posts I am going to lay out what I see as the three tiers of accessible technology. This first tier is what I refer to as Low-Tech. These are items that, while created by technology, require little to no technical skill to use. You'll see that each tier is separated into sub categories based on need. You ready? Here we go!
Seating
It is quite possible that if you have a child with a mobility issue, they will bring their seat with them in the form of a wheelchair or stroller. But, insurance will only pay for a wheelchair every 5 years, and so the youngest children in your program may not have seating yet. In addition, the child's parents may wish to vary seating while s/he is in Sunday school. Here are some examples of what adaptive seating may look like.
Of course, not every child needs a traditional adaptive seat. A high chair with head support could easily serve as an adaptive chair for younger children (assuming the child has some upper body control), an exercise ball can help focus children with Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD), or a bean bag chair can serve as a sensory haven for children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or who are on the Autism Spectrum (ASD).
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A high chair can be used
as an adaptive seat. |
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A large exercise ball can serve
as a seat for those with ADHD. |
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A bean bag chair can provide comforting
sensory input for the child with SPD or ASD. |
Adaptive Utensils
I'm using the word 'utensils' here as a catch all term for any simple tool we would traditionally use with our hands. So, while spoons, forks and knives are utensils, so are pencils, scissors and paintbrushes. Lucky for you, many of the adaptive utensils you need for the classroom - scissors, pencils and paintbrushes - can be found at your local art supply store. Here are a few examples of what those adaptive utensils may look like.
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| A collection of adaptive scissors. |
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| Adaptive pencil grips. |
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| Adaptive paint brushes. |
Now, when it comes to a child who has significant trouble with fine motor skills, you may find that child already has adaptive equipment s/he can bring along, such as the head point or mouth stick shown below (both found at
Assist Tech).
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| Boy uses a head stick to draw. |
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Mouth sticks can be used to point,
press buttons or write. |
Augmented and Alternative Communication
The main form of communication among the world's population is verbal communication. But, what if you have a child in your program who is non-verbal? How will that child communicate their needs and wants to you? How will that child share their joys and their sorrows? Participate in a discussion? For goodness sake, just because a person can't speak doesn't mean they don't have anything to say!
For this, I give you the Picture Exchange Communication System, or, PECS. There is so much to say about PECS, I really can't summarize it here. Instead, I will direct you to the
PECS-USA website, and encourage you to review it. Finally, I will say that if you have a child in your program who is using PECS, you should connect with that child's parent right away about incorporating PECS into that child's Sunday school classroom. Pull a speech pathologist into the conversation to help you streamline the process.
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Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can help those
who are non-verbal express their wants, needs, and opinions. |
Visual Schedule
Good educators have been using visual schedules for years. They help ease transitions (say, between story time and the activity) and they gives a glimpse of what can be expected later on. This is helpful to all people (children and adults alike), but is especially helpful to children on the autism spectrum. Perhaps recently you saw this visual schedule created by
Mr. Barb Greve.
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In this visual schedule, each section of class is
represented by a different color of the rainbow. |
As DRE's, we love this stuff - the simple pictures, the diversity (in one picture there is a person in a wheelchair) and the RAINBOW! Truth be told, we DRE's would color practically everything with the rainbow if we were allowed. But, sad to say, when it comes to accessibility, this visual schedule doesn't really cut it. It is too visually chaotic. The rainbow colors can make the white writing hard to read, and the pictures, while simple, can be a bit hard to interpret.
As a point of contrast, here is a visual representation of one preschool's morning schedule. Notice how the pictures are simple yet vibrant (these specific pictures are known as symbolstix and are used throughout the special needs world for visual schedules and AAC products). The majority of the schedule is white, but arrows clearly indicate the progression for the day. Once I have a bit more time, I will make one of these for RE.
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| A visual schedule with simple, yet vibrant pictures, |
What low tech accommodations do you employ on a regular basis? Tell us in the comments!
For the love of simplicity,
- Meredith Plummer
